Jacqueline Dahrenstein
General Information Jacqueline Dahrenstein was a Dranian politician of the Grand National Party and former Minister of Internal Affairs. Life She was born on April 15, 3221 in Belo Mounasterio (Ulbrach region) to an aristocratic family which maintained contacts with the royal family. She attended a religious private college in her home town from which she graduated in 3239. After she left school, she renounced her religious beliefs and became an atheist. She later stated that this decision was due to the "dogmatism" of the UTC. Against the wishes of her parents, she refused to go to university and instead became a model for a fashion company in 3240. Parallely, she started to design her own creations, which received overwhelmingly positive reception from fashion critics. She soon became a famous figure in Dranland's high society, and she used her popularity to start a career in politics in 3243, when she joined the libertarian Grand National Party. Because she was well-known and popular, she was asked by GNP Chairwoman Larissa LeCoultre to run for Governor of the Ulbrach region, the economic powerhouse of Dranland. During her campaign, she embraced capitalist economic policies, promised to cut taxes and to crack down on crime with a tough law and order agenda. In October 3246, she won the first round of the gubernatorial election against her strongest opponent, Jorge Hernández, the candidate of a local left-wing coalition, winning 44 percent. In the second round, she won 52% and was subsequently sworn in as Governor one week later. Her first project as governor was to expand the powers of the police, including retention of internet data of crime suspects, and unlimited remand for potential terrorists. This project was heavily criticized by civil rights activists and the opposition, who feared the violation of basic rights in the name of security. On economic policies, she privatized all companies and services owned by the local government in order to balance the budget. She also introduced a user fee for public beaches, chargin 1 DRA per person. In exchange, she abolished charges for several other services. The major project of her first tenure was the construction of three new nuclear power pants and two coal plants in Ulbrach. The latter were seen controversial, especially since Ulbrach's cities, especially Iglesia Mayor, already had the lowest air quality in Dranland. In October 3250, she sought re-election and emphasized the average growth rate of 4% in the region during her governorship in her campaign. She also promised to make the region an even more attractive destination for multinational companies. She was re-elected in the first round, winning 51% and defeating two leftist opponents. Her second tenure was overshadowed by a corruption scandal in the local police department. Newspapers claimed that the office of Governor directly gave orders to the executive force, which would have been an abuse of office. Dahrenstein denied the allegations and refused to take part in a court trial, which she could do due to the immunity she enjoyed as Governor. Following the scandal, her poll numbers declined, and by March 3254, the population was split over her performance, with an approval rating of 44% compared to 41% disapproval. In September 3254, the federal elections brought a nationwide majority for her party, the GNP, and Jacqueline Dahrenstein stepped down as Governor to become Minister for Internal Affairs under Prime Minister Jack Caddock. She was sworn in a week later. As minister, she continued the policy of open borders without controls. In exchange, she promotes strong domestic security forces to maintain law and order. After the elections of 3262, in which the GNP maintained its absolute majority, she proposed a bill that would promote cooperation between police and military to fight criminality. Her tenure ended in March 3263. Her successor was Lee Jong-Kyu. After her political career, she stopped working and retreated to a small cottage in the country, being only 41 years old at that time. She never returned to politics, however she endorsed the GNP in the crucial elections of 3286. She died 30 years later in Iglesia Mayor. Controversies Jacqueline Dahrenstein's tenure as Governor has caused several controversies, especially her involvement in the police scandal, which had damaged her reputation persistently. Critics were also furious about her security offensive, which they believed gave the police too much power. She was also criticized for some remarks she made as Governor: When she was asked what she intended to do about the increasing poverty rate in her region, she replied: "It is not my job to improve the financial conditions of individuals. If someone lacks money, it is most likely his own fault." On other occasions, she was accused of neglecting the interests of the working class. When union leader Rodrigo Cervantes, who demanded a significant increase of the minimum wage, called her a "rich brat" in TV debate, she replied that "if it was only up to me, I'd ban trade unions in general. They only represent the interests of those who are too lazy to work hard." Political Views Jacqueline Dahrenstein was a leading figure of the GNP's conservative wing, and holds a decidedly right-wing voting record as Governor. She vetoed a bill that would have obligated doctors to conduct abortions if it was their patient's wish, even if it was against their personal moral standards. On economic issues, she was an advocate for the total privatization of social security. "Private accounts can do the job better", she stated on the issue. She was also in favour of low taxes and proposed to cut corporate taxes below 10%, which she believed would create thousands of jobs. She was also a staunch militarist and supported using nuclear and chemical weapons in warfare, as well as land mines. On the other hand, she vetoed a bill that would have given more power from the local government to the military forces themselves. "The military must always be subordinated to the government", she explained. "Otherwise, our democracy would be in danger." Category:Dranian people Category:Conservative Category:Grand National Party (Dranland) politicians